Page 11

Chapter eleven

Under Siege

Chase

G ripping Kylie’s hand, I surveyed the area outside the bedroom, and ensured the coast was clear. I wouldn’t put her in further harm’s way. It didn’t mean a blast couldn’t hit and upend my attempts to keep her safe. Until that happened, I would fight unto my dying breath to protect her.

I no longer cared if we caught Santos, not at the cost of her life. I wanted Kylie safe and if that meant we took him out, then we needed to do that. After the intimacies we shared I cared about her, and my feelings ran deep. Deeper than I was comfortable admitting.

The boat swayed with increasing violence. Giant chaotic waves rocked the yacht with escalating frequency. If we weren’t careful, they would tip us over and sink the ship.

Fuck, we had to hurry. We descended the stairs at a fast clip. I gripped the railing, needing the handhold to steady myself and keep us upright while the yacht bounced around like a kiddy toy in a bathtub.

“Where are we going?” Fear coated her words. And I wished I could eliminate her terror and anxiety. I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be all right. But I wouldn’t lie to her. Our situation was dire with the Grim Reaper standing by to drag us into the abyss if we failed.

“Safe room Gideon set up.” I didn’t always care for our leader’s methods until the shit hit the fan. And then I was thankful for his anal retentive ways. The safe room would ensure Kylie made it out alive. Even if the rest of us went down swinging. And we’d ensure that we take those sons of bitches down with us to give her a fighting chance at survival.

“He installed a safe room?” She shouted above another deafening boom.

We reached the last set of stairs and took them at unsafe speeds. “Your husband already had a safe room established in the event of catastrophic failure or an attack. But Gideon added extra equipment and supplies that could be the difference between life and death in an emergency like this one.”

“Oh.”

We moved swiftly, battling the swaying horizon. I held on to Kylie as the yacht dipped and rocked. Explosions boomed all around us. Sulfur and salt water filled the air.

And Kylie whimpered when the boat damn near hopped at the increasingly violent waves jostling us.

“It’ll be all right. We’ll get out of this.” I hoped. But I would never admit how dire the situation was to her. She didn’t need more stress. And I would shield her as much as I could. “We’ve been in worse spots before and emerged victorious. Trust us to see you through.”

We reached the safe room. Fucking finally!

Although only minutes had passed, yet those minutes felt as if they had been stretched into hours. But being in the center of a dogfight was as familiar as breathing. I’d spent ten years in the Marines before Gideon recruited me into the CIA.

The safe room was off to the right of the engine room. It was an eight-by-eight foot space with a military style cot that had been bolted to the floor and a toilet behind a wall that reminded me of a divided wall between office cubicles.

Gideon had added bullet proof shielding to the walls. It wouldn’t protect her from an explosion. But it might keep any shrapnel and debris from the explosions from hitting her.

Against one wall, there were boxes of food items: protein bars, nuts, freeze-dried fruit, and bottled water. Then, against another wall, Gideon had added life jackets, a medical kit, a waterproof case with firearms and ammunition, an emergency raft that would inflate when needed, and a case that held a flare gun and beacon. But the most important item in my mind was the beacon. The beacon would send a radio signal to headquarters they could use to track our location and send a rescue team to pick us up—as long as Santos didn’t reach us first.

“Here, let’s put this on you.” I grabbed one of the life jackets, then helped her into it. Tough to accomplish with the yacht swaying, but together we got her secure in it.

But once she was as safe as I could make her, I cupped her face and kissed her briefly but deeply, and then I had to move. “Stay here until one of us comes to get you. If something happens and the yacht starts to sink, grab the raft and the case beside it. It has a flare gun and beacon inside it. And it’s only under those circumstances you are to leave this room without us. The raft will inflate on its own. Head out onto the back deck and just pull this cord. Don’t wait for us, understand. In the event we need to use this, we will come to you. Get yourself in the raft and we’ll join as soon as we’re able.”

Kylie searched my face with tears in her eyes. “Be safe. All of you.”

And I wanted to think those tears were all for me. I gave her a rakish grin. “Don’t worry, gorgeous. We know what we’re doing.”

After a second brief kiss, I left her in the safe room praying it was the right call. Then took the stairs as fast as my feet could carry me. Deep down, I knew we were in a race against time. We had ammunition for days. But whatever artillery Santos had outshone ours.

I reached the command deck at a sprint. The other ship sailed toward us off the bow. It wasn’t close enough for the munitions they used to strike the ship. But they approached at a decent clip. And they had caught us with our pissers out.

Gideon sat at the helm, steering the finicky beast, keeping us away from the blasts. Mateo sat at the radar station monitoring their movements on the screen, shouting instructions to Gideon.

And Axel was on the top deck. The loud booming firepower of the fifty cal reached my ears.

“Fucking finally,” Gideon snarled over his shoulder.

“She’s secure with instructions to use the life raft if needed.” I headed to the helm. “Move. Let me take over if you want us to survive.”

Gideon didn’t hesitate and vacated the seat. I slid into the captain’s chair. “What’s the situation? And how the fuck did they come upon us so fast?”

“It’s not the original ship that was trailing us. Coast guard intercepted that one, and it was a freighter bound for Hawaii.”

“Then how?” We needed distance from them and their firepower. But to do that, I had to turn the yacht around so we weren’t nose to nose.

“They came at us head on. One minute they weren’t there and the next they were there. They must have radar absorbing panels on their hull is the only thing we can surmise. Because even this close, they bleep in and out of radar.”

“Fuck!” I wouldn’t put it past Santos to have that kind of tech installed on his boat. He was a slippery son of a bitch, always a step or two ahead.

“Exactly. How they found us, I don’t have a fucking clue. Our only chance is to outrun them. But they built this thing with extra speed in mind. We’re close to San Diego, only about fifty nautical miles from the bay. We’ll call the attack into headquarters along the way. Let them know we’re under fire and see what kind of backup they can send. There’s enough of a Navy presence around San Diego to keep them at bay. We just have to reach the harbor first. And that’s where you come in. You can pilot anything with a skill none of us have.”

He was right. “Buckle your seatbelts. Because we’re about to test how fast this baby can sail.” I pressed the max power button and swung us around. It would put the starboard side in the line of fire for as long as it took to turn this thing around. “Tell Axel to get ready. We need him firing off the starboard side.”

“On it.” Gideon took the stairs two at a time to the top deck. With no time to lose, I began the turn, accelerating speed as fast as I dared with the choppy waters.

Axel laid down heavy cover fire. The fifty cal’s loud booms were joined by another gun. And I grinned because of what Gideon had on the top deck. Fucker had a grenade launcher. Take that you mafia assholes.

The moment the yacht had come about, I laid on the speed, pressing the throttle to maximum speed. And I prayed the engine wouldn’t quit on us. They equipped this thing to travel up to fifty knots and could outrun most ships.

“Mateo, get on the horn to headquarters. Let them know our trajectory and position.”

“On it.”

The sounds of gunfire and explosions subsided as we cruised full speed ahead. I kept a firm hand on the steering wheel, pointing us toward the California coast. On the horizon the first streaks of dawn painted the night sky. If we reached the San Diego harbor without them catching up to us, we would live to see another day.

Gideon rejoined us in the command center. “We’re leaving them in our wake. Keep this speed and heading until we reach the harbor.”

“Good. But I need you fuckers to keep an eye out. With as fast as we’re sailing, it’s going to be hard to slow down or avoid anything that might be in our path. And keep an eye out for that ship. They already caught us with our pants down once. They could still catch us if they laid on the speed. And you better pray they don’t send in another copter.”

“Got it. Axel and I will stay topside.”

Mateo said over his shoulder, “Headquarters is sending air support. I gave them our location. We’ve got a helicopter in bound. They’ll cover us until we get to shore.”

I blew out a ragged breath. “Well, that’s something at least. What I want to know is how the fuck did they find us?”

“I’ve asked myself the same question,” Gideon murmured thoughtfully with a frown.

“And?”

Gideon stood with his hands on his hips and sighed. “We need to check the yacht once we dock, see if there’s a tracker anywhere on board. It’s the only explanation I can think of because none of us are in communication with them. And we might want to get Kylie a new phone in case they’re tracking that.”

“Fuck. Why didn’t we think of that before? Do you really think they installed a tracker on the ship?”

Gideon wiped his hand over his exhausted face. “It’s the most likely scenario. I need to grab some scuba gear once we dock and check out the hull. But then also go through the interior of this ship, including the engine room, and see if I can find anything.”

“We’ll have to keep Kylie occupied. We don’t want to freak her out any more than she already is. As for her cell phone, we’ll get her a new one when we dock.”

“Yeah, I have an idea about that. Mateo, inform command we need a small moving van at the dock. Have them secure dock space for us with close parking. Then we need a membership card to the closest warehouse store because Chase is gonna go shopping for supplies with Kylie and to get her a new phone.”

I was happy to go shopping with our girl. It would do her good to get away from the ship for a few hours. “We should pick up medicine and feminine products for Kylie, besides the foodstuffs we need.”

Gideon squeezed my shoulder. “That’s why you’re going with her. You can help her get everything we need. Just get us to San Diego first.”

“Yes, sir.” I saluted.

***

Kylie

The moment Chase left the safe room, I curled up on the cot. There was nowhere else to go in the tiny room. It sounded like we were at war. Why did Santos want me so badly? It made no sense whatsoever.

Over the last few years my life had been one terrifying event after another. But this attack and his obsession with me was different. There had to be more at play. For the second time, I had been referred to as the Phoenix.

Was that my bodyguards’ code name for me? I kind of liked it. In mythology the Phoenix was an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates. I liked the thought of that. Mayhap once I escaped Luka Santos’s clutches for good, my life would be reborn into what I want.

Once we arrived in port and the imminent threat had passed, I would ask. From the monstrous sounds of gunfire and explosions, I didn’t know that we would.

Terror settled into my soul. I clutched at the cot, trying not to upchuck the entire contents of my stomach. Was this how I would die? Alone, fighting a panic attack, trying to keep my gorge from rising. Would Santos come for me, or did he just want to sink the yacht? Did he think I knew something? That my husband told me his secrets? Because that asshole never talked to me about his work.

All he ever did was hit me and make me question why my life had been nothing but a series of tough choices that moved me from one hellscape to the next.

With the yacht swaying, I gripped the edge of the cot and held on. The ship started turning. And I whimpered at the sounds coming from the upper decks. It sounded like we had been dropped into a war zone. Thank god they were all former military.

Outside the room, the engines worked overtime as the yacht picked up speed. Even though I was exhausted from my night with Chase, I couldn’t fall asleep.

Eventually, the sounds of gunfire and explosions stopped. The loud hum of the motor lulled me to sleep, where I dreamed of my dead husband chasing me through the house Santos destroyed. I struggled to get away from him, but he found me at every turn.

A hand on my shoulder startled me awake, and I screamed.

“Hey, babe, it’s just me.” Gideon had crouched beside the cot.

I blinked. My bottom lip trembled. “Gideon,” I murmured in a pained whimper. I wanted to crawl onto his lap.

He must have seen the need in my eyes, because he gathered me in his arms and took a seat on the cot. I laid my head against his firm shoulder, breathing deeply as the last fingers of my nightmare dissolved.

I was in his arms. I was safe. That was all that mattered. We lived to see another day.

“Hush. We made it. We’re in San Diego. We’re going to refuel and restock while we formulate a plan. And we thought we should make a run to a warehouse store to get all the supplies you want, like fruit, veggies, and coffee creamer. How does that sound?”

“We can’t stay in San Diego?” The boat was fine, but I missed being on land.

“We will tonight. But Santos knows where we are, which means we can’t stay long.”

“How did he find us?” It was the question that plagued me.

“That’s what I’m going to discover before we leave San Diego. You and Chase are going shopping. Axel and I are going to work on figuring out how they found us. And Mateo’s going to install a security system. One much higher tech than what’s already on board.”

“I should make breakfast before we get started.” If we had such a long day ahead of us, we needed fuel.

“No need. Axel went and grabbed us breakfast burritos from a restaurant at the end of the dock. And he even grabbed a coffee for you with cream in it.”

Bless him. I sighed. I loved that man to distraction. And before I lost consciousness last night, I came to a startling conclusion—I loved them all. “Sounds great.”

“Want to go eat and get yourself ready to go shopping?”

“In a minute. Would you hold me a little bit longer? I’m not ready for you to let me go.”

He pressed a sweet kiss against my forehead. “With pleasure, babe.”